We Are NTC: Recent Episodes
Nazarene Theological College
A point of connection for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of NTC Australia/New Zealand. This podcast features interviews with current students, alumni, faculty, and staff, as well as other formational content (lectures, worship services, book reviews, etc).
On Saturday evening, 15th of June 2024, we held an installation service for our new Principal, Rev Dr Joseph Wood. The gathering included the presence of our Regional Director for Asia-Pacific, Rev Dr Mark Louw, who preached for us. It was a wonderful time of celebrating this important moment in the life of the college.
*Apologies for some sound difficulties in the recording.
Welcome to NTC’s new academic year. It is an exciting time of the year because it is full of potential and hope.
For those of you who have been faithfully following the podcast, you will know that it has been a while since we releasedan episode. We are back and it is our desire to keep producing podcast episodes for the NTC community. Please pray for our new Principal, Joseph Wood, and the whole college community as we navigate new circumstances and new opportunities.
This first podcast is a recording of the sermon from our first community chapel service of the year. Joseph Wood preached a sermon on the theme of Epiphany, focusing on the calling of the first disciples and the story of Jonah. Before you listen, take a moment to read Mark 1.14-20 and Jonah 3.1-10.
If you enjoy the podcast, please share it with your friends and family, share it with your church community, and please do share it with anyone you think may be interested in studying with us. We would love to see our podcast and our college continue to grow.
If you have any suggestions for future episodes,please feel free to send me an email at jwood@ntc.edu.au
May God bless you as you listen.
Rev Richard Giesken, Associate Lecturer in Biblical Studies and Missiology, preached in our community chapel service on 19 September 2023. The text for the sermon was 1 John 5.6-21.
Podcast theme music by Bensound.
Recently, we held our annual Spiritual Deepening weekend at All Nations Church in Auckland, NZ. Joining those in person at the church was a small group who gathered in the Brisbane campus chapel, and several people online.
Our speaker this year was the Rev Roland Hearn, field strategy coordinator in the Church of the Nazarene for Australia and New Zealand. Focusing on the first letter of John, Roland explored what he called, ‘the heart of holiness’. Over three evenings this theme was unpacked and shared with those in attendance.
Through the grace of technology, we were able to record these sermons to share with you. This episode features the final evening, titled: The Life of Love.
As always, we pray God’s blessing on you as you listen.
Recently, we held our annual Spiritual Deepening weekend at All Nations Church in Auckland, NZ. Joining those in person at the church was a small group who gathered in the Brisbane campus chapel, and several people online.
Our speaker this year was the Rev Roland Hearn, field strategy coordinator in the Church of the Nazarene for Australia and New Zealand. Focusing on the first letter of John, Roland explored what he called, ‘the heart of holiness’. Over three evenings this theme was unpacked and shared with those in attendance.
Through the grace of technology, we were able to record these sermons to share with you. This episode features the second evening, titled: Children of God and Condemning Hearts.
As always, we pray God’s blessing on you as you listen.
Hello and welcome to the We Are NTC podcast, a production of NTC Australia/New Zealand. My name is Joseph Wood, I am the Dean of Students at NTC and your host for the podcast.
Recently, we held our annual Spiritual Deepening weekend at All Nations Church in Auckland, NZ. Joining those in person at the church was a small group who gathered in the Brisbane campus chapel, and several people online.
Our speaker this year was the Rev Roland Hearn, field strategy coordinator in the Church of the Nazarene for Australia and New Zealand. Focusing on the first letter of John, Roland explored what he called, ‘the heart of holiness’. Over three evenings this theme was unpacked and shared with those in attendance.
Through the grace of technology, we were able to record these sermons to share with you. This episode features the first evening, titled: Darkness and Desire.
As always, we pray God’s blessing on you as you listen.
Welcome to the second episode of 2023. Ourguest for today is Rev Richard Giesken, our lecturer in Bible, mission andpastoral theology. Richard a faculty member with one of the longest connectionsto the college. Richard first came to NTC in 1996, having moved from SouthAfrica following God’s call into missionary work. With some twists and turnsalong the way, Richard and his family made Queensland their home.
Richard is more than a lecturer. He is apastor of a local church, a leader on the Asia-Pacific region of the Church ofthe Nazarene, he is currently studying for his Doctor of Ministry degree, acolleague, a father, husband and many other things. In our conversation weunpack the ways in which Richard sees his many roles intersecting andinfluencing each other, making him the person he is today. Richard lovesenabling students to thrive, and he’s also pretty good and fixing an IT problemor two. It is great to have Richard on the team here at NTC.
We hope you enjoy getting to know Richard asyou listen to our conversation.
https://ntc.edu.au/about-us/college-staff/rev-richard-giesken
Today we have a bonus episode for you. On Tuesday, 7th of March, we held our regular community chapel service. This was a unique time of worship because we hosted the chapel in two locations using video conference technology. Our Dean of Students, Rev Dr Joseph Wood, was in New Zealand teaching an intensive class at our Auckland location, and our preacher, Rev Jenna Stout, lives just down the road in Hamilton. Because Dr Wood was going to be in country, he invited her to join him in Auckland.
Jenna Stout is a missionary for the Church of the Nazarene on the Australia and New Zealand field. She has a masters degree from Nazarene Theological Seminary and is an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene. For the past few years she and her husband, Andrew, have been serving the Church in a variety of ways. Currently, they are Community Engagement Coordinators and work with the ANZ Field Communications Team.
Jenna is a mother of two, a lover of Jesus, and a passionate story-teller. We were blessed to have her preach for us through the first chapter of 1 John. Before listening to her sermon, please feel free to pause the podcast and read the passage below. We hope this is a blessing to you.
1 John 1.1 - 1 John 2.2 (NLT)
We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.
5 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
2 My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
Welcome to episode one of the year 2023. Our guest for today is Rev Dr Linda Stargel, our academic dean and senior lecturer in Old testament and biblical languages. Linda came to NTC in 2019 with a wealth of experience in teaching, pastoral ministry and nursing. In her role as academic dean she is responsible for looking after faculty, providing quality assurance of our programs and liaising with the Sydney College of Divinity.
Linda loves helping students thrive in learning. Her passion for education is clearly exemplified in her teaching and care for students. In our conversation we talk about where this passion began and how God has led her along the way. She also shares her testimony of how God can speak to people through the most unlikely of places.
I hope you enjoy getting to know Linda as you listen to our conversation.
Linda's book may be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Construction-Exodus-Identity-Ancient-Israel/dp/1532640986/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1677558674&sr=8-1
Hello and welcome to the We Are NTC podcast, a production of NTC Australia/New Zealand.
The new academic year has begun and we are looking forward to what 2023 has in store for us.
This week we held our first chapel service and our Dean of Students, Rev Dr Joseph Wood, introduced our theme for the year: The Heart of Ministry: John’s First Letter to the Church.
In this episode of the podcast, you will hear him give an overview of the first letter of John and I explore what it may be saying to us as a college community.
We will be having 6 more chapel services this year. For those of you near to the Brisbane campus, please feel free to join us in person. And for those of you further away, you can connect with us using Zoom. Email the NTC office for details: office@ntc.edu.au.
If joining us live is not possible for you, then subscribe to the podcast where each chapel sermon will be made available.
This episode begins with a reading of 1 John 2:24-29 read by our Registrar, Pam.
Roland wears many hats: pastor, district superintendent, field strategy coordinator, former NTC registrar, and NTC alumni.
This was a full conversation about NTC. Roland shared about his various experiences at the college and the ways in which it has changed over the years. We discussed how important theology is for every follower of Jesus. And we also find out how Roland met his wife!
Roland is a dedicated follower of Jesus who is enthusiastic about sharing the hope he has found in Christ with everyone around him. It was a lot of fun speaking with Roland. I hope you enjoy listening in.
This will be our final episode for the year 2022. In this first season of the podcast we have shared 10 interviews and several bonus episodes. It is my hope that you have benefited from the podcast in many ways. I trust you have learned more about the college, her history, her present and maybe a glimpse or two of her future.
For the dedicated listener, do not despair, the podcast will be back for a second season in 2023 with more interviews and some new features which will focus on sharing insights on faith, knowledge and action. You will be hearing more of this in the coming year.
If you have enjoyed the podcast, please share it with your friends and family, share it with your church community, and please do share it with anyone you think may be interested in studying with us. We would love to see our podcast and our college continue to grow.
Let me conclude by thanking each and every one of you for taking the time to listen. If you have any suggestions for future episodes, please feel free to send me an email at jwood@ntc.edu.au
Until next time, we pray God’s blessing on you, wherever and whenever you are listening.
Joseph
Theme song by Bensound - Creativeminds
Jaci Tarrant, who completed her Master of Divinity with us a few years ago is now living in Glasgow, Scotland. In our conversation we talked about what it was like for her to be an international student, the challenges and opportunities that came with being a new mother while studying, and some of the moments from her time here that continue to inspire her life now. It was a joy, for me personally, to speak with someone who shares many of the same experiences that I have had in my life. I hope you enjoy getting to know Jaci.
Theme song by Bensound - Creative Cloud.
Recently, we gathered together for our Spiritual Deepening Weekend. We were blessed to have Rev. Mandy Smith, pastor of the St. Lucia Uniting Church, come and share with us the importance of Resting, Receiving and Responding within God's Presence. It was an encouraging, challenging and thought-provoking time. Check out Mandy's most recent book: Unfettered: Imagining a Childlike Faith beyond the Baggage of Western Culture.
Find out more by visiting Rev. Smith's website: https://thewayistheway.org/
Theme song: Creativeminds by Bensound
Recently, we gathered together for our Spiritual Deepening Weekend. We were blessed to have Rev. Mandy Smith, pastor of the St. Lucia Uniting Church, come and share with us the importance of Resting, Receiving and Responding within God's Presence. It was an encouraging, challenging and thought-provoking time. Check out Mandy's most recent book: Unfettered: Imagining a Childlike Faith beyond the Baggage of Western Culture.
Find out more by visiting Rev. Smith's website: https://thewayistheway.org/
Theme song: Creativeminds by Bensound
Recently, we gathered together for our Spiritual Deepening Weekend. We were blessed to have Rev. Mandy Smith, pastor of the St. Lucia Uniting Church, come and share with us the importance of Resting, Receiving and Responding within God's Presence. It was an encouraging, challenging and thought-provoking time. Check out Mandy's most recent book: Unfettered: Imagining a Childlike Faith beyond the Baggage of Western Culture.
Find out more by visiting Rev. Smith's website: https://thewayistheway.org/
Theme song: Creativeminds by Bensound
Our guest for today’s episode is Kahlia Devall.
Kahlia has recently completed her course of study at NTC and is looking forward to graduation. She has recently begun working for a ministry called Generate, which provides opportunities for students to explore the Christian faith in schools.
In our conversation we talk about her experience as a student, her previous study and the reasons she chose to transfer to NTC, and the new ministry she is involved in.
Kahlia describes herself as a lifelong learner who seeks to put her learning into practice. She is an example of how studying at NTC can equip you for ministry, not just in the church setting, but anywhere! Let’s get to know Kahlia together.
Theme song by Bensound - Creative Cloud.
On 11 June 2022, Rev Dr Joseph Wood presented a lecture titled: 'John Wesley's Approach to Contemporary Issues' as a part of an Australia North and West District seminar held on the campus of NTC in Brisbane.
We were pleased to have Rev Kat Wood, Associate Pastor of the Redlands Church of the Nazarene and NTC Office Manager, preach for our Community Chapel on 14 June 2022. She preached from John 21.1-19 on the call of God.
Theme music by Bensound: Creativeminds.
Our guest for today’s episode is Pau Tausie.
Pau is a current student, who has recently taken on an administrative role at NTC as our Head Facilitator and CALD student support coordinator. In addition to these things, Pau works with a partner institution, South Pacific Nazarene Theological College.
In our conversation we talk about what led him into ministry, his previous work in telecommunications, and his current experience supporting our students in the CALD programme.
Pau has a thirst for learning and a clear desire to serve God. He is passionate about providing quality theological education and inspiring others to follow God’s call to ministry and mission. I definitely left this conversation feeling inspired! Let’s get to know Pau together.
Theme song by Bensound: Creative Minds.
In this episode we get to know Megan Meade, previous and current student at NTC. In our conversation we talk about her experience at NTC (past and present), her work with children, and a recent encounter she had with a certain coach from The Voice Australia. Megan is a strong person who always has a positive outlook on life and seeks to live it to the full.
Theme song by Bensound - Creative Cloud.
Rev Dr Bruce Allder is a former Principal of NTC and District Superintendent of several districts in Australia and New Zealand. He has been a church leader and teacher for many years, but describes himself first and foremost as a pastor.
Currently, Bruce lectures at the college in the area of practical theology and he is the regional education coordinator for the Asia Pacific region of the Church of the Nazarene.
In this interview we discuss his call to ministry, the development of Christian higher education over the years, and the importance of maintaining a pastoral heart in whatever role he has taken on. He also reveals a certain 'claim to fame' in the world of cricket!
There is a lot packed into this episode. It may be that we will need a second interview!
I’m sure this will be a blessing to you.
Music by Bensound: Creativeminds
Welcome to Episode 4 of the We Are NTC podcast. In this episode we meet the Rev Leilani Roquara, Chancellor of Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological College, Nazarene Pastor, and NTC postgraduate student. In this conversation we spoke about the challenges of distance learning, her experience of being a woman in ministry and her passion for taking care of animals and teaching people of all ages how to swim! It was a pleasure speaking to Leilani.
Please pray for her and the ministry of Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological College as they seek to educate men and women in the South Pacific.
Theme song by Bencloud: Creativeminds
Our guest for today’s episode: Cameron Batkin.
Cameron wears many hats: pastor, chaplain, regional youth leader, and NTC alumni.
In our conversation we talk about his experience at NTC, the ways in which he has heard and followed God’s call on his life, and the importance of Food in the Christian life.
Cameron is a dedicated follower of Jesus who seeks to share the hope he has found in Christ with everyone around him. Let’s get to know Cam together.
Music by Bensound: Creativemind
Our monthly community chapel service took place on Tuesday, 8th of March and our speaker for the day was Joseph Wood, lecturer in Theology and Church History and our Dean of Students.
He shared with our community a sermon titled ‘Hardships and Hallelujahs’ in which we explored the realities of Christian ministry as outlined by the apostle Paul.
The text for the sermon is taken from 2 Corinthians 6, verses 1-10.
Theme music by Bensound: Creative Minds.
Our guest for this episode is Rachel Simpson. Rachel lives and ministers in New Zealand. She is a student, a pastor, a wife and a mum. In our conversation we talk about the challenges of juggling many life responsibilities, the joy of learning, and the recognition that no matter what we are facing, God continues to be faithful to us as we follow his Call on our life.
I hope you enjoy getting to know Rachel.
*Music by Bensound - Creativeminds
In this first bonus episode, we have the sermon from our first Community Chapel of the 2022 academic year. We were blessed to have the Rev. Roland Hearn share with us from Philippians 2. We hope this is a blessing to you as it was for us.
For more information please visit our website: ntc.edu.au or contact our office: office@ntc.edu.au
*Music by Bensound - Creativeminds
Revd Dr Rob Fringer is Principal of NTC as well as Senior Lecturer in New Testament and Biblical Languages. In this interview we talk about his life and experience before moving to Australia, his academic interests, and his hopes for the future of NTC. Let's get to know our Principal a little better!
Theme song is Creative Minds by Bensound.
In this introductory episode, Joseph Wood, NTC's Dean of Students, explains the reasons for this new podcast and offers a glimpse of what you will be hearing in future episodes. He says this podcast is a point of connection for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of NTC Australia/New Zealand. This podcast will feature interviews with current students, alumni, faculty, and staff, as well as other formational content (lectures, devotionals, worship services, book reviews, etc). We hope you enjoy this short preview!
Theme song is Creative Minds by Bensound.